An original sealed copy of Super Mario 64 has been sold at auction for a record-breaking amount.
When the game was originally released all the way back in 1996 you could pick up a normal copy for just $99.
There's no doubt many will have whacked it in their console and played it for hours on end. However, one smart gamer decided to keep it stored away for years and sell it for a whopping US$1.59 million ($AUD2.08 million).
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Heritage Auctions has described the condition of the game as 'breathtaking' and it's rated a 9.8 out of 10 on the Wata scale, which is what expert video game collectors use to determine how intact it is.
There are only five 'near perfect' copies of Super Mario 64 and the plastic seal on this bad boy has been graded the highest possible rating of A++.
The auctioneers haven't explained who was willing to part ways with that amount of money to hold a near perfectly intact game in their hands. What we do know is that it's the most someone has spent on a video game and has nearly doubled the previous record.
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Incredibly, that record was only set earlier this month.
An unopened copy of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda went under the hammer for an incredible $US870,000 (AUD$1.15 million) on July 9.
The auctioneers said about the copy: "Truly, the term 'grail' only begins to scratch the surface of describing this game.
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"Of all of the games we've offered in our auctions, this sealed, early production copy of the first game in the groundbreaking Legend of Zelda series is no doubt the apotheosis of rarity, cultural significance, and collection centerpieces.
"A proverbial trifecta of collector perfection that only one will receive the honor of calling their own.
"While it is a hard truth, it is a truth nonetheless -- none of the copies we've offered of this title previously could even attempt to hold a candle to this one due to its incredibly rare variant that holds early production status.
"This matter is completely inarguable. This is the only copy from one of the earliest production runs that we've ever had the opportunity to offer, and, possibly will have the opportunity to offer, for many years to come."
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Even more interestingly, the record that this copy of Zelda eclipsed was only set in April. It was an unopened copy of Nintendo's Super Mario Bros an went for US$660,000 (AUD$881,000).
Featured Image Credit: Nintendo